Abstract [en]

There has been a relatively recent structural change in the retail sector. This changes has ledto the development of omnichannels and e-commerce, which has changed the business modelto be able to survive in the market. E-commerce has for many years been seen a competitorfor micro-enterprises, but now it has made it possible for micro-enterprises to implement anintegrated system. Companies can choose between three different business options regardingthe marketplace and availability of the company and then select the omnichannel based onhow they want to reach out to customers. Options may be interconnected to facilitate abusiness.In this study we investigate how small local business are working to maintain theirmarketplace in the face of increased competition due to the growth of e-commerce. Toinvestigate this, we used a qualitative approach with in-depth semi-structured interviews. Tofind out how local traders perceive the market, competition and trade developments, fivestragically selected retailers were interviewed.The investigation revealed that a common view about the market exists. In addition, it wasidentified that one of the key success factors was to satisfy the customers with a high level ofservice, thus creating a relationship which contributes to the development of repeat and loyalcustomers and, which in turn contributes to the company's profitability. All the respondentsagreed that relationships are established via physical stores and therefore have chosen to focuson the individual store in the internet's continual development. To attract customers to thestore, they have chosen to provide a range tailored to their customers. In summary, theinternet and the resulting development of trade and online presence means that local businesscan create systems in line with their business.